Haines Avalanche Center

Above 2,500ftModerate

1,500 to 2,500ftLow

Below 1,500ftLow

Degrees of Avalanche Danger

Avalanche Problems

Problem Details

The last storm cycle ended January 1st. It featured strong SE winds, and 1-2.5" of SWE. It rained up to about 4000ft for a few hours at the end of the storm. We've been in deep freeze with arctic outflow ever since. NW winds are finally calming down a bit and some light snow is moving in for this weekend. See the weather section for more details.

Problem #1: Wind Slab:

Location: Specific slopes in the alpine above 4,000ft, where north/NW winds this week caused recent wind loading on lee aspects beneath ridgelines and terrain features. Reports from this week found isolated areas of recent wind slab (3-8" thick) that are poorly bonded and easy to trigger. An additional 4" fell in this zone last night, and may have increased wind loading in some areas, adding another layer of complexity.

Be sure to dig around in high-alpine areas to assess for yourself how well-bonded the upper snowpack is. Variability will be high, so evaluate each slope carefully. In large or steep terrain, slabs as thin a few inches can sweep you into dangerous situations.

January 8th Snow pit from the Lutak zone, at 2700ft, N aspect. Notice fresh wind slabs in top 15cm (easy triggering), and hard triggering down 35cm.

Weather

There should be some clearing Friday before more clouds and light snow come in Saturday-Sunday night, with an additional 3-10" of snow possible. Snow totals will be highest in the Lutak zone, lowest at the Pass. NW winds will calm down quite a bit.

Snow Depth [in]

Last 24-hr Snow/SWE [in]

Last 3-days Snow/SWE [in]

Today's Freezing Level [ft]

Today's Winds

Next 24-hr Snow/SWE

Mount Ripinsky @ treeline

43"

4" / 0.20

4" / 0.20

0

decreasing, N

0" / 0.00 *

Flower Mountain @ treeline

42"

0" / 0.00

0" / 0.00

0

decreasing, NW

0" / 0.00 *

Chilkat Pass @ 3,100ft

30"

0" / 0.00

0" / 0.00

0

decreasing, NW

0" / 0.00 *

( *star means meteorological estimate )

Additional Information

Do a rescue practice with your partners. Always carry a beacon, shovel, and probe, and KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.

Practice good risk management, which means only expose one person at a time to slopes 30 degrees and steeper, make group communication and unanimous decision making a priority, and choose your terrain wisely: eliminating unnecessary exposure and planning out your safe zones and escape routes.